Illuminated sign



March 8 1927 E. J. KRElss ET Al- ILLUMINATED SI GN Original Filed May l, 1926 [nz/enfans Patented Mar. 8, 1927..

UNITED S'liptii einen.

EDWARD J. KRESS AND CHARLES E KKREISS, 0F BUFFALO, NEW YORK, ASSIGNORS T0 'KREISS SIGN' C0., lNC., OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

ILLIVINATED SIGN.

Original application ledMay 1, 1926, Serial No. 106,03*?. Divided and this application filed August 4,

This invention relates to an illuminated sign, and more particularly to the canopy or overhead reflector type, in which the display face of the sign panel is illuminated for night advertising or display by a single source of light, housed and practically concealed within a canopy or hood which is arranged above the sign panel to reiiect or con-v centrate the light rays directly down onto the display face. ln this style of sign the display face, or that wall ot the panel bearing the advertising matter, provides a very 'desirable sign when the letters or other symbols are iinished in black or a dark color, and the background is white, or ot a light, contrasting color. Heretoi'ore, the dark lette-rs or symbols have been painted directly on the light background, but more vivid and desirable results may be obtained by mounting raised letters, finished in black, on a white background. Signs thus constructed are especially adapted for store fronts where, through a vmaze of surrounding artificial lights, the display face of the sign stands out in boldness. However, when t-he lettersare raised, i. e., have a thickness, they throw or cast dark shadows on the light background which shadows blend more or'less with the dark letters, making them indistinct and blurred, and rendering the sign face more or less illegible and obscure. More especially is'this true of a sign having many crowded or small letters.

Various attempts have been made to avoid these blurring shadows, such as the 'provision of several sources ot light directed onto the sign symbols from diierentangles or directions, but such arrangements have. heretofore proved too expensive and impractical for commercial use.

The primary object of this invention is to overcome this indistinctncss by forming and arranging the symbols so that the major portion of the area of the side walls thereoi" is exposed to the light rays. The invention resides in the combination with the single source of light, o'l the symbols which are so formed and arranged that the major portion of their sidewall areas are exposed to the light rays whereby no shadows, or substantially no shadows, will be cast upon the white background. The invention further resides in the provision of high-light borders on shadow-reducing formed letters, by which Serial No. 127,014.

the letters or symbols are sharply dened or set o from any shadows which may be cast by the side wall areas unexposed to the light rays.

This application is a division of our copending application liled May l, 1926, Serial No. 106,037.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 illustrates a fragmentary front elevation of a canopy type of signembodying a square cut block letter with the blurring shadows cast thereby.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view therethrough.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1 illustrati ing a symbol constructed in accordance with our invention.

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional viewthrough Fig.

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing a modification of our invention.

Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional view through Fig. 5.

The sign illustrated is of the single face style adapted for being mounted on the front wall oi" a building, but the invention is equally applicable to a double face sign in which the sign characters are arranged on both sides of the sign panel and from which the canopy extends in opposite directions.

In the form shown, the sign comprises a character-bearing panel 1 having a canopy or reflector 2 overhangingthe single display Y tace 3 for housing a plurality of electric incandescent bulbs l which constitute a single source of light. v4These bulbs in practice are arranged from twelve to sixteen inches apart within the canopy, and are of such type and power as to throw a strong and united sheetlike beam oit light which shines with exceeding brilliancy through the open bottom side of the canopy onto the display face 3, which brilliancy is enhanced by the fact that the background for the display part of the .sign

The sign we have illustrated the ordinary block type ot letter at 5, the same casting depending shadows as at 6, which illustrates the blurring and indistinctness that obtains when the letters are crowded or reduced. rlhe present invention includes the modilication ot these raised letters with respect to the source of illumination whereby the major portion ol the side wall areas ot the letters or symbols is exposed to the light rays so as to avoid shadows and render the symbols distinct and clear. This we accomplish in the embodimentshown by reducing the unexposed side wall areas as by shaping the lower marginal portions ot the different tace areas of the characters or letters, as 7, with a bevel 8, the angle of which approaches the direct rays from the source ot' light as near as practicable. lVhen the degree ot bevel is Acoincident with Vthe source ot light, as indicated in Figs. 3 and 4l. then no shadowl Vwillpbe cast trom the letter onto thel white background. ln practice, and according to the depth ot the letters, it may not be tound desirable to provide a bevel equal to the angle from which thc illuminating beams are directed, in which instance the bevel will be made to apnroach the source ot light consistent with the preservation ot the boldness with which the raised letters stand out. -7With such a bevel a slight shadow may be cast, but the cast shadow will be more in the nature ot a light or penumbra shadow which will not blur or render indistinct the legibility ot the sign. Consequently, by so shaping the letters to an angle equal to, or approaching the angle ot the illluminating beams, the blurring etie'ct ot castshadows is substantially7 done away with. ln certain letters the lower sidewalls may incline di-y rectly across to the upper 'si-de walls so that the lower side walls will actually constitute Athe tace otfthe letters.

Thus, the square cut block letter 5 in Fig. 1 cast-s a shadow which tends to close the spaces in the letter between the different tace portions, as the legs and cross bar thereof. This obscureness would be added to where the characters are crowded or made on a reduced scale, or where the symbols involve more or less a network ot parts. At 7, in Fig. 3 we have illustrated the letter in accordance with our invention from which the source of light throws no shadows, the angularity ot the border or marginal portions ot' the letter being equal to and coin- Adent with that of the light beams.

This marginal bevel ot the symbol mayv extend through the thickness thereof as depicted in Figs. 3 and et, or only partially so. Thus, in Figs. 5 and 6 the shadow illuminating or reducing bevel 9 ot letter 10 extends only a fractional part ot the thickness ot the letter, Atrom the tace thereof and on an angle with the light ray, in which case a light or penumbra shadow would be cast close to the base ot the letter or the point where the letter is att-ached to the background, with substantially no blurring ettect. However, to dcline the letter clearly from any cast shadow, and to maintain the sharpness ot outline ol' the letter, this small beveled margin 9 is gilded, enameled, or tinished ott with a light color, to produce a bordering high-light eltect which distinctly defines the letter with a degree ot sharpness to overcome any ill etlects which the lightcast Vshadows may tend to produce.

This border forms a clear cut high light so that the subdued or softenedv side of the letter, has a contrasting sharpened edge which renders the letter more legible and distinct.

The light rays trom the single source of light contact with the upper side wall area and more or less ot the lower side wall area, according to the degree ot bevel, so that the major portion of therside wallr areas of the different parts of a letter is exposed to the source ot light, without casting blurring and obscuring shadows, and without any additional expense either in the manufacture or the operation otV the sign.

Vile claim:

1. An illuminated sign comprising, in combination with an overhead source of light, a panel having a light background onto which the light rays are directed from the source ot light, and a plurality of raised letters mounted on the light background to receive the light rays at a. shadow-casting angle, the marginal portions ot said letters .being beveled to reduce the casting ot' shadows by the light rays, said beveled marginal portions of said letters having a high light surface on which the light rays from said overhead source are directed for sharpening the outlines ot the letters againstthe reduced shadows cast.

2. In an illuminated sign, in combination, a display panel having a light colored background,a canopy arranged above the panel and housing a source of light from which vsaid panel is illuminated, and raised symbols mounted on said panel to receive the light rays from said source ot light at an angle capable ot' casting shadows from the symbols onto the background, said raised symbols having their shadow-casting marginal portions beveled at an angle substantially coincident with the angle ot the incident ray 'from said source ot light to substantially eliminate the casting ot blurring shadows .trom said symbols on the background by said source ot light, the beveled, surfaces having a high light linish inl contrast with the remaining linish of the symbols.

3. An illuminated sign comprising va panel, an overhead reflector containing a source of light and directing the light rays therefrom down onto the panel at a shadowoasting angle thereto, and raised letters mounted on. the panel Within the downwardly directed light, said letters having the lower edges of their different face portions cut on an angle approaching the source ot light to be illuminated by the latter, and finished with a highlightsurface to sharpen the face outlines of the letters against the 10 panel and any cast shadows.

EDWARD J. KREISS. CHARLES F. KREISS. 

